Evaluation of potential analytical approach for determination of polychlorinated biphenyls in serum: interlaboratory...

Forty-four laboratories participated in evaluation of a method for determining polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as AR 1254 in serum at the parts per billion level. The method involves deproteinating serum with methanol, extracting with hexane-ethyl ether, and eluting PCBs from deactivated silica gel for gas-liquid chromatographic determination with electron capture detection. Compounds are quantitated by using the Webb-McCall factors. Five serum pools, 4 containing in vivo-fortified PCBs (as AR 1254) or 8 in vitro-fortified chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHs), or both, were used. For PCB fortification levels of 9.89 (EP 2), 24.74 (EP 3), and 74.20 ppb (EP 4), interlaboratory coefficients of variation (CVs) for collaborators that adhered to protocol were 92.7, 67.6, and 25.8%, respectively. CVs on the same pools analyzed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) were 7.4, 7.8, and 4.6%, respectively. Average interlaboratory recoveries for pools EP 2, EP 3, and EP 4 were 138.1, 111.2, and 91.1%, respectively, and 99.8, 89.6, and 90.4%, respectively, for CDC on the same pools. There was a general decrease in the mean error for those laboratories that had participated in an earlier study in which they were allowed to use their own methods.